A Company's Tail - The Kitty Commando Story By: Regina DeCorte June 2004
Unconcerned with the war around them, these newly adopted pets provided a welcome reminder of home and boosted troop morale. "In a place where the immediate beneficiaries would seem to be the adopted cats themselves, the saved often become the saviors", said Private First Class Dana Longo and Private First Class Dennis DeVey. As a fashion designer and animal lover working in New York City's garment industry, Regina DeCorte of Hoboken, NJ knew just what to do: wishing to cheer the troops and to provide shelter for the animals, she sat at her sewing machine and created miniature tents for the Kitty Commandos. They were shipped to the US Troops, stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan, where soldiers and pets welcomed them equally. A website was set up to address the many inquiries received from readers of the June 2005 Cat Fancy Magazine article regarding this gesture to the troops and pets of Kabul. Customers began to purchase these unique items. Please see whataboutuspets.com for further information. In the Beginning... Regina DeCorte is a successful fashion design entrepreneur who has enjoyed the companionship of animals for as long as she can remember. Prior to striking out on her own as a consultant to companies such as The Gap, Ann Taylor, The Children's Place, etcetera, Regina held the title of Technical Design Director at several large, specialty retailers. Creating a fast-growth, design-driven company would enable Regna to combine her love of pets with her skill at developing fun products. "I picked the pet industry for several reasons," DeCorte said. "I'm over-the-top about dogs, cats and birds and the industry is growing." Barking Up The Right Tree Honing in on the final big idea - to market the pet "tents" - was the result of a lengthy strategic planning process to ensure the company's quick growth and success. A complete business plan was written while attending a highly structured 8 week Entrepreneurial Training Institute (ETI) course offered on the Jersey City Campus of the Hudson County Community College. This course, sponsored by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) and the New Jersey Authority for Small Businesses, Minorities and Women's Enterprises (NJDA), assists new and existing entrepreneurs to prepare a business plan, learn how to manage the day to day operations of a business and to understand the ins and outs of financing. Taught twice yearly in ten locations throughout NJ, the course culminates in a formal presentation in Trenton, where written feedback and cumulative scoring by an executive panel of small business professionals, accountants, lenders and lawyers is provided. If financing is being sought, the plan may be presented again at a Lenders Roundtable representing all types of funding. Upon course completion, the graduates are assigned to a mentor who provides eighteen months of assistance as the business is started or expanded. The program has graduated over 1000 New Jersey entrepreneurs since it's inception in 1992. Please see www.njeda.com for further information. Early concepts for What About Us Pets? ranged from innovative toys to apparel lines for pets, but after many iterations and wacky prototypes, DeCorte landed on the biggest and most innovative idea: "tents" for pets. "I realized that there were many apparel and bed lines for pets but no one was marketing fun and well made Tents," DeCorte said. "I knew that I was onto something immediately. Who wouldn't want their pet to have their own, special, cool place to sleep…an alternative to your sofa or bed?" Racing Ahead With the business model and "tent" prototypes in place, DeCorte set a social mission for the company: 5 percent of profits would go to benefit The Fisher House, a non-profit organization that awards academic scholarships to the children of US Military Personnel and the product would be domestically sourced and produced. "Having spent the past 15 years of my career traveling to factories in Asia and establishing professional relationships there would make trivial work of developing and importing products. But I'd like to try to create jobs in my weekend community of Rutland, Vermont. There is a skilled sewing workforce who cannot easily find jobs when a local factory goes out of business," said DeCorte. The Vermont Department of Employment and Training has located home-based sewers, who possess the skills but lack the necessary sewing equipment. DeCorte has been able to EBay/ship this missing component to the sewing work force. "Creating this business hasn't been easy but it has already been rewarding," said DeCorte. The Kitty Commando is available in several of the shops where I live (Hoboken, NJ), where I work (New York, NY) and where I spend the weekends (Rutland, Vermont). Pet owners may purchase them directly from the website and Pet Boutique Owners will find us in October at the HH Backer Pet Industry Show in Chicago, Illinois. "As much as we expand, our focus will always be on creating jobs in the US," says DeCorte. "We will grow the category we created with new products so that Pet Tents become a part of every pet's life." What About US Pets
231 Adams Street Hoboken NJ 07030 Tel: 201-388-6269 Fax: 201-221-7727 Website: www.whataboutuspets.com |
